Read this only if you've experienced burnout and there are days you don't know how to articulate or work. Read this if you want to say "FUCK IT" but can't
Tbh when it first happened I refused to admit it. I've always been the one who solved problems and find out a way. I think this was a tight slap from reality that it can happen to anyone. It was a humbling experience. I'm glad to have a supportive partner through this - because at the beginning I was severely depressed.
Thanks for this well-written piece that will help others. Most people don't know they have burnout until weeks and months and years later. You detailed well the major points of how it feels. As someone who writes about burnout and who coaches folks through burnout recovery, I see people struggling to figure out what's wrong with them. They don't have drive or energy anymore. It's not them.
Burnout is the last stage of chronic stress, so it means stress has been draining your energetic resources for a long time. Studies show burnout mirrors the stages of depression. One of the hallmark traits is a lack of positive emotions. When you went to the park, that was a key moment. A simple act of walking in a park can reduce stress and increase positive emotions.
It takes time, but burnout is temporary. The way out is cutting excessive work hours, getting more support, managing the sources of stress, and work recovery, the science of detaching yourself from work and thoughts of work after work through recreation and relaxation strategies that increase positive emotions, which speed recovery from the all-negative, all-the-time of burnout.
Appreciate this comment Joe. Yes acceptance is the first and crucial step. I'm trying to be grateful for where I find myself now. Having a lovely wife and a business that helped me deal with depression for over 15 years - I really count myself lucky. :)
That’s inspiring! Support helps a lot, and it sounds like you have that. Being grateful is an awesome tool to crowd out the excessive negative. Here’s a note I wrote this week on one of the most special forms of gratitude. It’s all around us.
Thank you for sharing this journey so honestly Aritra.
Everything you said....I felt it in my bones.
Everything you learned...I am coming to learn too.
Love that you are feeling better and more aligned.
Tbh when it first happened I refused to admit it. I've always been the one who solved problems and find out a way. I think this was a tight slap from reality that it can happen to anyone. It was a humbling experience. I'm glad to have a supportive partner through this - because at the beginning I was severely depressed.
Thanks for this well-written piece that will help others. Most people don't know they have burnout until weeks and months and years later. You detailed well the major points of how it feels. As someone who writes about burnout and who coaches folks through burnout recovery, I see people struggling to figure out what's wrong with them. They don't have drive or energy anymore. It's not them.
Burnout is the last stage of chronic stress, so it means stress has been draining your energetic resources for a long time. Studies show burnout mirrors the stages of depression. One of the hallmark traits is a lack of positive emotions. When you went to the park, that was a key moment. A simple act of walking in a park can reduce stress and increase positive emotions.
It takes time, but burnout is temporary. The way out is cutting excessive work hours, getting more support, managing the sources of stress, and work recovery, the science of detaching yourself from work and thoughts of work after work through recreation and relaxation strategies that increase positive emotions, which speed recovery from the all-negative, all-the-time of burnout.
Appreciate this comment Joe. Yes acceptance is the first and crucial step. I'm trying to be grateful for where I find myself now. Having a lovely wife and a business that helped me deal with depression for over 15 years - I really count myself lucky. :)
That’s inspiring! Support helps a lot, and it sounds like you have that. Being grateful is an awesome tool to crowd out the excessive negative. Here’s a note I wrote this week on one of the most special forms of gratitude. It’s all around us.
https://substack.com/@samo25/note/c-156313023
I love this! I also relate to sooooo many of the things you did before you waved the white flag.
I'm so glad you relate. Yeah been a tough year 2025. But I like to think we are tougher :')